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Source: The post is based on the article “Government gives official recognition to Esports” published in The Hindu on 28th December 2022
What is the News?
The Government of India has officially recognised e-sports as part of the ‘Multi-sport’ event.
What are E-sports?
Esports (Electronic Sports) is a competitive sport where gamers use their physical and mental abilities to compete in various games in a virtual, electronic environment.
The most common video game genres associated with esports are League of Legends, Counter-Strike, and Valorant among others.
Importance of e-sports:
Esports in India and across the world has gained prominence in recent times.
Earlier this year, the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, UK included esports as a pilot event.
Esports will also debut at the postponed Asian Games in Hangzhou, China as a medal event after being held as a demonstrative sport in Jakarta 2018.
In November 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) also confirmed that its inaugural Olympic Esports Week will take place in Singapore in 2023.
Recognition of e-sports as a multi-sport event by India
The President of India has amended the regulations governing eSports and included eSports in multi-sport events.
This means that recognised esports tournaments might attain the same status as other offline sporting events in the country, like national-level tournaments.
Nodal Ministry: E-Sports will be taken care of by the Department of Sports under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
– While ‘Online Gaming’ will be overseen by MEITY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology).
